Kärcher K 4 Premium Power Control Car & Home high pressure washer: Intelligent app support – the right solution for heavier soiling – incl. hose reel and car & home ki
1 CLEVER 2 SUSTAINABLE 3 EFFICIENT 4 COMFORTABLE
Kärcher high-pressure washers: performance classes in comparison
 K 4 Premium Power Control |  K 7 Premium Smart Control |  K 5 Premium Smart Control |  K 3 Premium Power Control |  K 2 Premium Power Control | |
| Pressure | max. 20 – 130 bar | max. 20 – 180 bar | max. 20 – 145 bar | max. 20 – 120 bar | max. 20 – 110 bar |
| Surface performance | 30 m²/h | 60 m²/h | 40 m²/h | 25 m²/h | 20 m²/h |
| Flow rate | max. 420 l/h | max. 550 l/h | max. 500 l/h | max. 380 l/h | max. 360 l/h |
| Max. Inlet temperature | max. 40 °C | max. 60 °C | max. 40 °C | max. 40 °C | max. 40 °C |
| Weight without accessories | 12 kg | 17,8 kg | 13,9 kg | 5,6 kg | 4 kg |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 414 x 306 x 588 mm | 459 x 330 x 666 mm | 414 x 306 x 588 mm | 340 x 281 x 677 mm | 246 x 280 x 586 mm |
| High-pressure hose length | 8 m | 10 m | 10 m | 7 m | 5 m |
| Water suction | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Built-in hose reel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Connection capacity | 1,8 kW | 2,8 kW | 2,1 kW | 1,6 kW | 1,4 kW |
| Weight: | 12 kg |
| Dimensions: | 41.4 x 30.6 x 58.8 cm; 11.98 Kilograms |
| Model: | 1.324-136.0 |
| Part: | 13241360 |
| Colour: | Yellow |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Manufacture: | Kärcher |
| Colour: | Yellow |
| Quantity: | 1 |
Great product, does what it says on the tin. Only criticism that I have is that the hose becomes tangled very quickly. Although in fairness I dont think there is a hose that simply rolls out and stays untangled.
Good item just a bit less powerful than you’ll expect for an item this expensive
Recommended washer, good quality from karcher and easy to use
Easy to use, it’s not that light but stops it tipping over. Highly recommended
On the first use of this machine, I couldn’t believe quite how good it was.
My last pressure washer was made my RAC and was noisy and ineffective from the start. I persevered with it for several years until the motor gave out, catching fire.
The first time I used the Karcher to clean our patio I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently it did the job and much, much quieter than the RAC too.
Did the job two large patios and paths
Hard to control pressure seemed full on or stop. Replaced a similar model that stopped working 11yrs old New model much more pressure
I used it on the slabs at back of my house and on the car love it.
For me pressure washing is a necessary evil. I really hate doing it, I always end up cold, wet and splattered with dirt. This Karcher K4 model however is in a class of its own and really elevates the experience compared to my old clapped out machine (also a Karcher). There are a few design elements that make this one much more pleasant to use.
First of all, it’s really quiet (for a pressure washer). Second, the hose is really long at 8 metres. It means I don’t need to keep moving the machine about so much. In fact I can do virtually all my patio area not move the machine at all. This is a huge bonus as I always end up with the hose pipe, the mains water hose pipe and the electricity cable all tangled up. Third, the handle is really comfortable to use and allows the user to select various pressures. Fourthly, there are a selection of heads supplied for different tasks including a beefy rotating spray for cleaning paving, which cuts down the amount of spray and dirt thrown around. It’s much more heavy duty than my old one.
WIth a 1.8kW motor, this is a powerful machine. It’s noticeable that my paving isn’t as wet and flooded as it used to be with my old one – I put that down to the power being greater so it doesn’t need as many passes to get clean, hence using less water overall.
There’s a receptacle on the main machine for detergent, a patio cleaner is supplied with the unit and a car cleaner is available separately.
The app support mentioned is basically a glorified instruction manual, this isn’t a smart item that links to the app in any way. It’s useful to have though.
The only draw back with the long hose is that it’s a pain to store. The pipe has mind of its own and doesn’t willingly coil back up to rest neatly on the little holder built into the machine. The cord storage pouch isn’t that great either. So it does look a bit of an untidy mess after each use.
This is a heavy item, with a retractable handle to drag it around like a suitcase. Not an issue for short trips but if you have a lot of steps in your garden, or you travel with it and lift in your car a lot you’ll notice the weight.
In summary this is really useful and powerful washer. For anyone who is maddened by less powerful jet washers like me it really is worth the extra power, hose length and general build quality.
So easy to use and assemble. So easy to clean my car and clean the decking as well
Great power washer. Instructions clear to set up and the app is great too. Garden all cleaned ready for Spring. I also used the car part and works great to clean my car.
works well. it could do with a anti tangle lance
This Karcher is one of the best I have ever had fantastic value for money & quality so easy to put together with the extra tools and patio cleaner make this a perfect all round cleaner the app is more a help and on line manual but that said is registration so easy to use see photos for true item full five stars
Great machine, only 2 ways to improve it. 1. Replace hose with longer and more flexible one. 2. Use screws thru plastic body and into both handle shafts, to stop it sliding shut when leant on. (Nearly fell over twice before locking it with screws.) Use Gardena stop valve click fitting, close when changing fittings or releasing hose otherwise water pressure makes it nigh on impossible, even with tap off!
This was an upgrade for my existing K2 which I have had for 5 years and so I will be making some comparisons between the two models during this review.
The K4 in this variant (with Home kit) comes in a big and heavy box. The weight is due to the main body of the washer which definitely needs its wheels. The K4 is significantly heavier than the K2 which, in comparison, is easy to move around by just picking it up and the wheels aren’t really needed.
The large size of the shipping box seems solely to make room for Surface cleaner attachment and the extra packaging put around that item. All the rest of the parts included, of which there were many, were just left loose floating round the internals of the box. A few items had marks from where they bashed against each other, and the internal polystyrene had taken a significant beating from multiple internal impacts.
I’m not sure why so little care was taken to secure the internal parts within the box, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this resulted in some parts arriving damaged for some customers.
NB: It wasn’t that they came loose, it seems they were all just thrown in there to roll around loose by design.
The power cable comes pre-attached to the main body of the washer, as you would expect. You will find the 8m hose is also pre-attached, despite the box photo which might make you think otherwise. Please note this included hose, is to attach tools to. You still need your own (not included) hose to hook the K4 up to your mains water supply. You don’t have to worry about the filter mentioned on the box, this comes already fitted inside the connection where you hook your own hose pipe up to.
If you were expecting to just unpack the K4 and start using it, you will be disappointed to find that you need to attach several parts to the main body yourself with the provided 3 types of screws. I found attaching some of the parts to be fiddly and by the end of the assembly I was left puzzled why the customer had been tasked with doing this at all. Usually, these self-assembly tasks are to allow the shipping boxes to be smaller. But only one of the parts seemed to alter the size of the main body in any significant way. I felt like maybe Krcher did it to give me something fun to do, because people that like to use pressure washers probably also have fun building stuff? I didn’t find it fun; it was just annoying. Especially screwing in the handle grip over the already existing handle grip — why can’t this be done in the factory?
The assembly process isn’t helped by the sometimes-confusing instructions. I appreciated the diagrams depicting how to put things together, but the repeated choice to try to cram two steps into one picture almost made me go wrong a couple of times and use the wrong screw type.
One of the last things you may do is plug the included hose into the bottom of the gun. According to the instructions, I’m supposed to line it up with a tab, but I couldn’t see any tab on my hose or gun. The hose will only go in if lined up correctly and the only way I could do it was looking down the hole in the gun and trying to work out myself how it should be lined up.
The K4 uses a water-cooled pump, and the K2 uses an air-cooled pump. I had wondered beforehand if this would make any significant difference in the noise when running. The K4 wasn’t significantly quieter than the K2 but I felt it was quieter overall.
I tested the K4 out cleaning sections of driveway, path and patio which I had done many times previously with my K2. Despite the K4’s apparently small on-paper step up in power from the K2 (110bar on the K2 vs 130 bar on the K4), I found the K4 to be a significantly more powerful machine and makes the K2 feel like a toy in comparison. Where I had cleared my block drive with my K2 and cleaned the surface up pretty well, the K4 did that and also blasted clean all the gaps between the blocks and was able to cut through embedded weeds with little trouble.
The only downside to all this power is that a lot of the dirt blasted clear ended up on me or sprayed elsewhere which I then had to clear up afterwards. Whereas the surface cleaner attachment is a bit of a gimmick on the K2 and you can do much the same with the lance, you really need the extra attachment for the K4 unless you want to spray what you are blasting all over the shop.
Specifically, about the K4 surface cleaner attachment: I found it quite difficult to attach the extension arm compared to the other attachments. It does fit eventually but required a lot more force than the others. The power control dial on the top of the surface cleaning is a nice touch, but all it really does is raise or lower the jet compared to the surface. Be careful when used on full power, because it may catch on any uneven slabs as the nozzles are spinning really close to the surface at that setting. One downside I found to using the surface clear in comparison to the normal lances is that it seems to put down a massive amount of water in comparison. I cleaned two sections of drive as a comparison and the section cleaned with the surface cleaner started to build up a pool of water very quickly as my drainage isn’t that great. It is the better way to clean and quicker, just be aware you need good drainage to support its use.
Beware the power! I found the K4 was actually taking some splinters out of softwood when I used it with the dirt blaster lance. Whereas when using the K2, I was always thinking I could do with just a bit more power, with the K4 I found myself thinking I should really turn it down a little before I break something.
I’m sure for some the move up to the more powerful model above the K4 might be useful, but for me I can’t see a need to go any more powerful than this for home use.
I’m awarding the K4 4-stars. It has more power than I know what to do with and I particularly loved the dirt blaster lance. I’ve dropped one star for the badly designed packaging and seemingly needless and sometimes badly documented self-assembly.
The K4 power control with a great price, easy to assemble, easy to use, a reliable brand
Very high-quality product. Easy to assembly and removal. Mighty water pressure. The online manual helps me to find suitable water pressure under different circumstances. Recommend.
This has to be the most powerful of the pressure washers I’ve tried. Beautiful cleaning action and comes with a stone and patio cleaner. Very powerful. If it was a bit warmer I’d wash the car, too. Easy to assemble and very easy to use.
A really good pressure washer set coming with the K4 pressure washer that is suitable for cleaning patios, drives, cars bike etc.
Assembly was more tricky than I expected primarily down to the clarity of the instructions but once I got used to the notation it became more straightforward.
The home kit in this review comes with the great Karcher vario-lance, dirt blaster lance, extension lance and the surface cleaner. It also comes with a bottle of patio detergent that plugs into the the top of the unit.
This is a little disappointing as personally I’d rather have had the foaming adaptor rather than a bottle of detergent that I likely will not use.
The trigger gun is the major change from the last Karcher I owned. This comes with a gauge that indicates to you the type of cleaning that the vario-lance is set for. Its a little gimmicy to me but at least it takes away the worry that you are using too high pressure for cleaning your car.
A big thing is made of the app too. Apart from making registration of your product much easier its really nothing more than an electronic manual showing the how to use the vario lance for your home kit set up and then the “ideal set up” which basically is a selling tool offering add-ons to put into a basket for you to buy direct from Karcher
The mix in with the app and the touchscreen style appearance of the trigger gun did at first confuse me into thinking this K4 is a fully connected “smart” pressure washer but it isn’t – worth noting.
The niggles about this product are small but to me significant.
1) Hose coiling – the design has a hole through which the hose is supposed to go through – this implied to me that the hose could be at least uncoiled from the hook at the back – the reality is not the same it just jams – not a big issue really as most pressure washers have the issue with hose coiling. Just having this design element left me feeling a little let down by its implementation.
2) Trigger gun – maybe its just this unit but the hose was fiddly to attach in and difficult to detach when i realised I needed get rid of a kink in the hose preventing it coming through the slot mentioned in point 1.
3) The app/unit interaction is overplayed and so the reality feels a let down compared to the blurb
4) Electric cord tidy – the cord at the moment is pretty stiff meaning is not so easy to coil up the wire and push in through the opening above the elasticated cargo style net – I resorted to partially removing the net to store it.
While these are small niggles for the price of the unit and the quality I’ve come to expect of karcher I can’t quite give it 5 stars
I have a smaller Karcher power washer and prior to that, I’ve used another brand model for some years. Both worked well; the Karcher I bought to replace a heavier and more bulky cleaner I’d been using for some 15 years. I love the Karcher. It’s lightweight, easy to operate and effective. It cost me less than 100 ( as a lightning deal) so I wondered how or whether this K4 smart washer would compare.
I’m blown away! It takes power hose cleaning to a different level. Firstly, with the App, it miraculously understands the surface to be cleaned and adjusts the strength accordingly. I don’t have to mess around adjusting nozzles or spray width to remove the gunk. But the cleaner tool is incredible. Instead of being splashed by residual spray, this dedicated cleaning head contains all the water and directs it to the area to be tackled. There’s no wet feet or legs from backsplash and it sweeps across paving slabs and concrete, bringing both to crisp new fresh state. If required, a bottle with cleaning solution can be attached quickly. I’ve only used cold tap water and it’s worked very well.
This cleaner is more costly. Is it worth the extra? I’d have to say yes because it takes away much of the manual effort of the smaller and lower powered version. Given the brand, I’m confident that I’ll get year# of use from the cleaner and can add a wide range of accessories I I wish. It’s an all round winner.
I had a K4 full control before but it had the plastic connection for the hose which continually popped off when the water tap was turned on. This is the newer model with metal connections and now no issues, much better hose connections stay on. Make sure you get a newer model with metal hose connection. Also this is the Full Control
Model and NOT the smaller Compact K4. All works brilliantly. Would highly recommend.Karcher provide a water cooled motor which allows the unit to be used for a longer period of time without cutting off due to excess heat.
I had used it for every task under the sun ,Boats ,cars.patios,roofs and the block paving drive at the front of the house.
Only fault is that the hose needs to be less plastic and more rubber. Apart from that excellent product. Power great, even gets the 20 year moss off with minimal effort.
My previous, smaller, Karcher power washer developed a leak inside the sealed unit which I assumed would be irreparable. I note in the instruction booklet that an ‘aqua-lock’ connection must NOT be use on the hose connector to the device – could this have led to the ‘leak’ issues on my old model? My only concern now is that my new K4 is very heavy to lift, which must be done sometimes. Time will tell how reliable the K4 is!
Relatively easy to assemble and simple to use. This is my second K4, after a few years of use I replaced it for the same model. Its used for car cleaning and patio cleaning it certainly works well.
Good news for anyone thinking of purchasing this pressure washer, I received this on time with no damage to the box or anything inside of the box as seen with some of the other reviews ! The pressure washer works flawlessly and is ideal for the car detailing I intend to use it for. over all I have had a very good experience and would not hesitate to buy another one.
Certainly illuminates well, even on a dark, rainy, rural night with no road markings. You cab still clearly make out the ditch from the road. Cars dip their lights straight away.
Although, this is the 2nd one of these I’ve had. The first one gave me in excess of 5 Hours at full brightness, this one only 3 Hours.
The 1st one lasted approx 25 sessions of 3 Hour rides. It died due to the on/off switch breaking internally. I did toggle to settings sometimes during my ride to suit the conditions, so my concern would be the durability of it.
Both developed a rattle within their first few uses. This was overcome by undoing the screws on the back and wedging a thin bit of card down the edge of the battery. This will invalidate your guarentee though.
But despite this, I find it value for money and impressively bright.
Does the job well, with a lot less noise than our previous (non Karcher) model.
here is nothing I dislike about the Karcher,I found it easy to assemble and is easy to use
I bought this to replace a diesel powered Karcher which no longer fitted my requirements.
Even though this one does not have a hot function, it fits my needs very very adequately
Great machine, works as we expected, easy to use, my kids having fun cleaning the cars
Good Value and recommended and a replacement to my very old one
Love the washer apart from the hose that kinks so easily, difficult to find a replacement.
My hubby said best power washer he’s ever had easy to assemble and to use and for how it performs great value for money
Takes a bit of getting used to if your new to power washing, but great when you’re up to speed. Used mine to wash motorhome.
Had to send the first one back, due to missing parts.
Quite complicated to assemble, if you are a novice.
Powerful device.
Have used 4 times now and must admit i’m impressed with the ability of this Karcher, Excellent on cleaning paving and must recommend the patio cleaner (saves so much time) So far very pleased.
This product is as good as is possible have used it a few times and think it is a good produc
It’s powerful and a great tool to remove dirt and moss from the patio.
Very expensive and poorly packaged in the box, but a great product.
High pressure water pipe very difficult to “roll” up. Foam dispenser, excellent accessory for car washing
Brilliant product – and a blessing when it comes to jet washing the patio and car – simply a great product. I have also purchased additional accessories
This is a good pressure washer particularly for patio paving and general washing of furniture. It is quite cumbersome and very heavy. I don’t know why the wheels are so small as to be barely functional especially for those of above average height.
Love this Karcher. Downloaded the app and followed the assembly on the app.
So far so good with the use +++++
The difference of power settings work for all types of jobs
Will clean everything.
from stained patio to dirty car. Very good pressure. Happy with it. Don’t buy anything cheaper or higher than the K4 as this is the perfect pressure for all kinds. You will not be disappointed!
Easy to build, instructions are great. Will try it over the weekend.
Instructions not that clear on assembly but able to work out. Works very well and a good choice.
This washer is a dream to use better than my old one by fa
Overall good product the hose connector would not seal had to fit new seal hence 4star only works fine now
The Karcher 4 did an excellent job of cleaning my back garden patio and garden path and also my front garden block paving. I have now used it to clean my car and found the attachments very useful.
Works brilliant and is such a versatile piece of equipment to have around, can clean near enough everything with it. Even without the cleaning solution it still does a great job, not really noticed too much of a difference between the K3 and the K4 apart from the accessories and the size. With the K3 being a lot smaller than this one. And the power control model only really seems to include better accessories than the older models.
Overall very good piece of kit, well built and will definitely last!
This is simply the very best pressure washer you can get – and we have tried a few!
Sadly though, this version is let down by the time it took to assemble. At this price point, I think you should be getting a fully assembled and functioning unit (which would also cut down on the reams of unnecessary packaging. So many fiddly little bits – I nearly had a tantrum doing it!
However, once up and running, it is reliable, and effective, it has made light work of many household tasks.
The quality of the build is so important as we are fed up of purchasing replacements – once you know you need to pressure wash, you just have to have one that lasts.
I particularly like the power this one affords which makes this easy to operate.
Recommended.
Instructions for putting it together not great. Does exactly what it says on the box. Very pleased with it operationally. Used it on garden tiles, slabs and garden walls. (raised planter areas). So far seems good value for money.
Clean the patio like a dream and the car came up looking brand new
Absolutely love i
Loved it made a fantastic job of my slabs and patio
Liked everything nothing to dislike about this product just thought it would come with a dispenser bottle
Very poor assembly instructions and this item needs a bit of assembly
Does what it says, loads of power – made short work of my patio
A bit awkward to manhandle into position. But brilliant after for patio
Decent, fairly well made and robust. Putting it together at home wasnt the clearest, nor necessary. I’d rather just pay an extra ten quid and get some guy to build it for me.
Got this discounted great price and product won’t use any other make
This is a Karcher K4 Power Control Car & Home High Pressure Washer 1800 W it weighs 12kg so a good solid weight that won’t keep falling over like cheaper models, once it is assembled you can wheel it with ease with the extending handle and push fully down and grip both handles and you can carry it. The best thing I like is the hose that can be wound up at the back of the Karcher which makes it easier to store . This is a step up in power and accessories from the K2 model I had as you can access an app and by turning the spray wand the led display on the full control power gun makes it easy to check the setting mode to use . The rotating brush gives a gentle clean on a car, plastic sills on windows bikes etc and the right solution needed car shampoo or deck patio cleaner bottle is popped in the top of the Karcher and off you go or you can use the attachable bottle (small one) to attach to your lance instead.
Good replacement for an older Karcher. Very powerful, and especially good at cleaning flagstones. A bit cumbersome, but very versatile.
Good replacement for an older Karcher. Very powerful, and especially good at cleaning flagstones. A bit cumbersome, but very versatile.
Good replacement for an older Karcher. Very powerful, and especially good at cleaning flagstones. A bit cumbersome, but very versatile.
I’ve had this power washer for a couple of months, it’s very good, would recommend it. I read a couple of negative reviews before I bought it, but I’ve had no issues.
I used it on my paving slabs, it’s excellent, they cleaned up like new.
Good replacement for an older Karcher. Very powerful, and especially good at cleaning flagstones. A bit cumbersome, but very versatile.
Excellent power washer, well made and easy to set up and use.
If I ever need another one, will go for one with a reel to wind up the power hose.
First washer I have had that actually covers the car completely in soap. Fantastic finish.
Also used to wash very dirty decking and results were amazing. Definitely recommend.
I have nothing to compare it to apart from another model that died after one use – this has already been well used on the flags in front and on the dirty, weathered decking at the back. Brill!
As expected, does a great job. The patio scrubber is a wonderful addition.
brilliant really powerful and really cleans, although my dad complained it took him an hour to put it together lol. worth it though.
brilliant really powerful and really cleans, although my dad complained it took him an hour to put it together lol. worth it though.
brilliant really powerful and really cleans, although my dad complained it took him an hour to put it together lol. worth it though.
brilliant really powerful and really cleans, although my dad complained it took him an hour to put it together lol. worth it though.
Does what a jet wash should do. Has the option of 3 stage pressure setting.
Easy to assemble. Having wheels on it helps when needing to move it as it is quite heavy. Very easy to use. Patio and driveway came up a treat, also used to clean car. Noise level is lower than other pressure washers I’ve used.
Pretty good – seems high quality and durable – couldn’t get the soap dispenser to work – inverted the soap bottle into the dispenser holder – but no soap came out of the pressure wand – no big deal I guess – the foam gun worked fine (though the soap reservoir is a bit small)
I had been able to cross compare the K4 against the K2 and K7. This has given me a better chance to give a reasonable review I hope. I already had a K4 washer but that was without any accessories. I go into more detail on that review and don’t wish to repeat myself.
That unit was fantastic but as you’ll see with that review it was let down by missing accessories which came with the K2 and K7.
The K4 is the midrange unit price wise and the original one I had is identical. The only differences in price come from what you get in the box.
It’s slightly different when it comes to assembly than the K2 but assembly is required. With the K7 it’s just a case of taking it out of the box and attaching the hose.
You will need to screw parts together but it’s fool proof. You will need a Philips head but that’s it. The K2 was clip together for comparison. Again I found the instructions slightly lacking. There were pictures, but I was confused at points with the original one, because I’d done this once that helped me put this together.
With this being screwed together (rather than clipping – K2) it definitely feels more secure. It looks a whole lot more premium than the K2 as well.
It comes with two lances which attach to the handle as well as an extender. There’s the high pressure one which is seriously high pressure and then the other allows you to turn between different levels of pressure. It has a dirt buster mode and it rotates the flow to hit points, rather than it being direct. I find this messy if I’m honest and an absolute nightmare between block paving. Prefer precision when it comes to cleaning that.
The handle has an indicator when using the turnable lance so that you know what pressure level you’re at. It’s automatic and you don’t adjust with buttons. Just turn and away you go.
That’s ideal for using on more delicate surfaces and goes all the way up to high pressure but it wasn’t as powerful as the other lance. You just change the pressure for your car for example or wood, concrete etc.
Now with the original K4 I had that was all you got, this has some pretty decent accessories. It has a T5 patio head, these are worth their weight in gold in my view. The K7 had the T7 and I loved it. This is great for cleaning patios and any area where you don’t want splashing. It’s so much faster than using the lance too. You just use it like you would a hoover. It really works well.
It has a car cleaning brush attachment although I haven’t used this on a car (don’t own a car) but I used it on my bike. It worked well. You get a bottle of car cleaning solution, I just used that for the bike in combination with the foam nossle that’s also included. Wasn’t sure about the foam nossle and think it’s better suited for use with a car however.
It has a patio cleaning solution too, I used this on block paving as well as concrete walls.
Both the K2 and K7 that I had prior came with patio attachments, my other K4 didn’t. This has them, that is excellent and I’m very pleased to see them with this kit.
The unit itself has a section to attach the solution on top just like with the K7. With the K2 you put a tube into the bottle.
Like with the K7 the hose is on a reel and this is so much better than having to leave hanging over the unit itself. Again like with the other you get a good length of 6m. You’re supposed to unravel before use but I didn’t. If you have a smaller are it will probably get in the way.
I have a power socket outside but you get a decent length. You can wrap this up and it will sit in the netted compartment at the bottom of the unit.
All in all I’m very happy.
I’ve owned Karcher pressure washers previously, and they seem pretty robust and reliable, so I was looking forward to trying out this updated and more powerful model.
There is some assembly required before you can get up and running, but thankfully nothing too taxing. It’s mostly just screwing on bits of plastic which all lined up nicely, although some of the screws were a bit tough to get in. I did get in a tangle with the hose that leads to the gun, as you’re supposed to feed it through the plastic body, but it’s very thick and a bit unweildy. I managed to get it sorted in the end though.
One thing I appreciated was the QR code on the box which you can scan with your phone or tablet to give you easy to read instructions once you’ve downloaded the app. I seemed to make the mistake of registering the washer before creating a Karcher account, which meant I had to re-register it. Karcher really should look at improving this process.
This unit comes with two wand attachments, but only one space next to the gun/handle to store them. Looking at the pictures, they expect you to store the unit with one of the wands attached, which seems a little odd to me.
In use the washer works really well. It’s pretty heavy, so the extendable handle and wheels make it easy to move around. The variable pressure wand is new to me, so I was very keen to try it out. It seems to work very well, although even on full power it didn’t have the cleaning power to get the gunk off my patio, so I switched to the ‘dirt blaster’ wand for that.
There’s a couple of minor niggles with this washer – including the assembly, lack of storage space and the app, but the fact that it does the job it’s supposed to do really well tips it over into 5 stars for me.
Easy to assemble. Used on car with snow foamer really good. Would recommend.
A beautiful machine, looks and feels very solid and durable. Easy to set up. Pretty quiet in use, which is great for a powerful machine like this one. Powerful spray – used it to wash the car and made the job so easy. You can adjust the pressure which is handy. And you can buy a plastic container which you insert into the machine and fill with shampoo for the car, cleaner for the patio etc. Highly recommended by myself and my son.
This premium power control pressure washer from reliable manufacturer Karcher is pretty much all the cleaning power you’ll ever need. There are more powerful models available, this one sits in about the middle of the range and is more than up to any job around house or garden.
With past machines I’ve struggled to control/store the stiff pressure line but with this model it is on a drum at the back of the machine keeping it tidy. For me that is a huge improvement on previous machines. Additionally the supplied T5 surface cleaner is terrific for easily cleaning large areas of patio with minimal mess. I haven’t used it yet for cleaning walls but it has handles for doing just that. The power lance is maybe a wee bit more powerful than the T5 and is just the job for getting rid of stubborn stains.
Also included is a rotary car wash brush which looks pretty clever but I’m not sure if it brings any great benefit to the job, a foam spray and a soft brush work fine.
The bottles of cleaner that come with the kit just pop into the top of the machine and work fairly well but get used up at an alarming rate and replacements are quite expensive.
Having had a number of these, I would say this is by far my favourite version of Karcher’s pressure washers. It has all the accoutrements and is as powerful as one ought to need for general use around the house and garden.
This particular K4 has a reel for the hose which makes putting it away that much easier, unlike another K4 I have which simply has a hook on which you have to try to squeeze all the hose and wire, then try to wheel it away without everything falling off it again.
On the topic of wheeling, by golly does one need those wheels! The weight of this thing would enough to give me a good workout were I to try and lug it around. As it is, it feels like a carry-on suitcase.
With regard to the accoutrements, I generally prefer the dirt buster with its cyclone effect, as this seems to get ingrained dirt off much more easily than any of the other options, probably because the water is that much more concentrated.
The brush is a very useful tool for cleaning glass and other areas that require a softer touch, but a little scrub as well.
The rotating T-5 racer is alright for cleaning large areas, but those areas can’t be as ingrained with dirt as my paths obviously are, otherwise it’s not as effective as it could be.
In spite of all these good points though, there are still cheaper versions on the market that can do an adequate job. However, you do get what you pay for and this ought to last.
I am not a DIYer, so putting this machine together was a little tricky. In fact, there are two screws that create the handle which remain exposed as I was physically unable to screw them in fully. All the rest of the screws required quite a bit of muscle to get them fully into place. Of course this means everything is secure, except for the handle.
When I finally got round to using it, I simply could not figure out how to get the pressure any higher than 0 and spent a fully half hour going online, looking at videos and searching for instructions, even downloading the app in desperation. However, when I went back to the machine for the umpteenth time, I suddenly saw a dial at the front to turn the dratted thing on! None of the instructions that I saw included that simple step! Boy! Did I feel a little silly! But also relieved. I thought something was wrong with the thing.
When I started it up, it was powerful! I gradually increased the power and the LED lights on the handle showed clearly each notch as I ramped it up. However, I had to turn it on before the power would increase. The nozzle was almost too easy to twist, which could be a problem in the remote scenario that something knocked against it.
There are two fittings to this particular machine: the vario lance and the dirt blaster lance. For cleaning the paths, I found the dirt blaster lance to be the most effective. It uses a circular motion like a miniature cyclone and is automatically set to the strongest setting. It did the job so well I had to wear goggles to stop debris flying into my eyes.
The vario lance starts like a hose when on the lowest setting, but on the highest setting it flattens out and becomes much more powerful. Nevertheless, it still isn’t strong enough to get the ingrained moss off my driveway. All the same, it cleaned the car nicely.
I forgot that when one is pressure washing something, everything else around it gets blasted with whatever is coming off what is being cleaned, so I ended up having to wash the car, then the garage doors as well! So everything is clean now! Well … until the next time that is.
Putting everything away was a little tricky with so many wires and no reel, so there’s room for improvement there.
You get what you pay for, but there are cheaper options out there which are as effective.
Weight: 11.4 kg
Dimensions: 30.5 x 58.4 x 39.7 cm
Wattage: 1800 watts (K5 2100w)
Max pressure: 130 bar (K5 145 bar)
Flow rate: 420 litres per min (k5 200l per min)
Hose length: 6 metres (K5 8m)
Cord length: 5 metres
As you can see the K5 is better all-round in terms of power, but don’t let that put you off as even the K2 &3 are capable of handling most pressure washer tasks and all the new models have water-cooled motors which should add greatly to the life of the machine. One thing worth clarifying though is what you get with all the various packages. Now, when you see the word “Premium” attached to any Karcher, what that essentially means is that you will get and LED display on the main lance (as opposed to no display, just twist and go), a power hose winding in wheel & docking station, a docking station for the power cord and in the larger models (including the K4) a plug and clean shampoo dispenser. Of these, the power hose winder is probably the best feature to have (amazingly Karcher considers this basic feature to be premium), though as anyone who has owned a power hose already knows, irrespective of whether the machine comes with a winder or not, the hose is a nightmare to wind-in & store neatly. Despite all the promises, NONE of the Karcher power hoses are anti-curl.
Being both the Premium and Car & Home model you get all the above plus the T5 surface cleaner, Snow foam adapter, Car brush and a bottle of surface cleaner and foam cleaner. All good and from experience, the T5 is a superb addition for anyone who has a stone patio or wooden deck as it is both effortless to use and great on all flat surfaces. The brush you won’t use on cars (trust me) but it would be handy for items such as bikes, garden equipment, furniture etc. And that’s really my only gripe with this range topping model, namely value for money. The K5 compact is roughly 100 cheaper, smaller yet more powerful all round. The K4 Compact has the same power, flow rate etc as this model but comes in at almost half the price without the added extras. Now, If there is one thing I have learnt about using Karchers in practice these past few weeks it is this — get the most powerful model you can afford in terms of flow rate & pressure & add only the essential extras you need to get the job done. So, if I wanted say a K4 for predominantly my patio, I’d buy the K4 compact plus a T5 patio cleaner and still have over 100 change for precisely the same performance and power. It is for this reason and this alone that I prefer the basic compact models over their premium cousins, but having said that, the K4 is a really good all rounder with all of those extra features and add-ons under one roof. With this in mind, at the price quoted (343) my one star deduction might seem a bit harsh (4.5 would be a more accurate rating), but all I am really saying here is that before buying, carefully consider what it is you really want from your pressure washer, what features are really important to you and what you’ll end up using it for. Doing this should ensure you end up with the best value machine that works for you and if it is an all singing & dancing machine you want the K4 premium is a pretty good bet!
Karcher are the Brand in power washers. This is a great power washer. Its the mid range one. They go from the K2 up to the K7. This is an 1800w one. Its more than powerful enough for anything you want to do. It comes with all the brushes you could possibly need. This is the best of the K4 range and it has a little phone app you can use to control the settings on the washer. Or enter the type of surface and it will do that for you. It also has a very long hose so you dont need to drag the device itself around when you are washing the car or patio etc. It also comes with complimentary washing liquid which is PH neutral. I spoke to the Karcher helpline and they assured me the detergents are PH neutral and wont kill your grass for example. The device has a 2 year warranty . And at any point if you break a peripheral like a wand or the wheels for example they will simply send you new ones. I think this is a fantastic washer. Its not the cheapest in the range and its not the most expensive and it does everything the other more expensive ones do and has the same apps etc. Its not as powerful as the 700- washer but I think its more than powerful enough for any task you are likely to do. I think if you want a washer that will last possibly for ever can be repaired by a reputable company that has been around for a long time and is THE name in pressure washers and dont want to spend a bomb but dont want a cheapy then this is the one to go fo
Some assembly is required and, as others have stated, the assembly instructions in the manual are not particularly clear but it’s not a terribly complicated process. Only after had I assembled it did I download the Krcher app to register the appliance and found that the app has detailed diagrams and instructions on how to assemble it! I would therefore make the app your first port of call…
The device feels very sturdy, as you’d expect from Krcher. There are good storage options on the device for the hose, power cable, pressure gun and one nozzle. This is rather bizarre as all previous Krchers that I’ve had have included storage for both nozzles that they come with.
There are a couple of minor niggles. With all modern Krchers, I do not understand why the electric cable goes in the back and both the input and output hoses (if you use the feed hole in the frame) are at the front. This makes the device a little awkward to move when in use. For me it would make much more sense for the input hose to be on the back of the unit. The idea of the guide hole for the pressure hose would be great if it worked as it is meant to prevent the hose from kinking and getting tangled when being pulled through. This, however, did not work for me but that may be because the hose is new and really wanted to stay coiled, so I guess it may improve over time and with use. This guide hole works really well on a K5 with the integrated hose reel.
The mobile app is only useful as an instructional guide for the K4 and a lot of the pressure setting are common sense. On the pressure lance, when using the variable nozzle, the pressure that you are selecting is clearly indicated by the yellow pressure gauge and is a great visual indicator for checking that you have the right pressure setting.
The high pressure hose is nice and long which is a definite improvement over some of the lower models. The combination of the two nozzles and other Krcher accessories means that this is a very versatile unit that can be used on many outside surfaces. Overall, I would highly recommend this for people that need to maintain larger driveway/deck areas as it really does feel like a quality piece of kit that should last.
Krcher jet washers I love them, The style yellow and black colour they just look brilliant better than any other jet washer I’ve had. The performance and power from this K4 is fantastic it took the green mould off my flags within seconds. The foam gum did a great job on the car but I was a bit sceptical to use the stinging brush at first but it’s soft tips just don’t press on too hard I didn’t I was too scared of damaging the paint but it still did a brilliant job getting dirt from the bottom half of the car. These one comes with the car kit and patio T5 cleaner and two bottles of cleaning liquid car and patio.
If your budget can stretch I would definitely go for this home and car set.
If you’re a serious SLR camera-owner, you’ll know just what I mean when I say that this K4 is a bndge model – part way between the serious 500 3kw K7 and the (relatively) little 1.4kw K2 at 100 or less. And this is a kit deal – Just about everything thrown in to enable you to be the cleanest household on the block.
As with all bundle deals, the first thing you have to do is check the kit price against the prices for all the bits bought separately – unless all you care about is the convenience of just getting everything in one place with one click.
The Karcher range is just about as full as it could possibly be, and could perhaps even be thinned out a little to help making up your mind which model to buy, which may currently may not be easy; but if you’re a domestic user, this K4 bundle deal is likely to give you everything you would possibly need, and you certainly won’t be disappointed with its power and reliability. Going any higher up the range would probably mean that you were spending more just because you could. Which is fine…
This version of the K4 also sports the pressure hose reel at the back, to make storage less of a nightmare, a no-brainer for me.
I do have a moan, though; this is the first model going up the range where serious self-assembly is required, all below it being merely push and click. Aside from the operating attachments, there are no less than eight separate bits which have to be permanently attached to the body with a variety of screws and dowels. This may be fine for the average able-bodied (it requires juggling with the 12kg chassis), but less so for those no longer in the first flush of youth, or for delicate ladies.
I cannot for the life of me see why these attachments cannot be fitted in the factory, indeed I can detect no purpose in requiring the purchaser to do it. except as some form of punishment or a penance, perhaps, for the good of the soul.
Karcher make the very best units for domestic use. This is the very best I have had so far. A complete unit with no need to get any extras. Possibly a little over the top in digitizing its controls but it is bang up to date. Does a fabulous job of anything you put it too. Quality sturdy construction with all the power you will ever need. The only thing an industrial unit does is sometimes heat the water – perhaps this is next? Fantastic bit of kit.
What are the benefits of a pressure washer?
There are multiple benefits such as keeping many surfaces clean with minimal effort and restoring multiple surfaces to their original condition.
It is a fast and effective tool using the various tools and accessories that accompany this model.
For somebody like me with back issues this is a god send. It saves me carrying buckets in and out of the house, saves on cleaning materials. You just need an available power socket and somewhere to attach your hose and away you go!
Pressure washers work by blasting water at high velocity, and the power of the water is enough to lift stains and mildew without the need for harmful chemicals so saving on environmental harm which in my books is a plus.
This particular model contents includes:
1x K 5 Compact 1x One Way Lance 1x Dirt blaster lance 1x G 180 Q Trigger Gun 1x 8m High Pressure Hose
The machine itself comes in a compact box. It is not too heavy without its accessories but you have wheels so that not an issue anyway.
Does it do a good job, yes it does and with its very long hose and long power cable which makes it very flexible in terms of the distance you you can pull it without difficulty to perform your tasks.
Easy connection functions and away you go! Flow is managed by the two lances
You can purchase optional extras should you please for other cleaning tasks that are not compatible with the accessories that come with this particular model.
Well priced given what you can do with this powerful mid range model. Bear in mind that whatever your budget you can’t beat a karcher in my opinion. I’ve always considered them to be the Roll Royce of power cleaners it did a marvellous job on my daughter in laws garden which was green and grungy looking.
I have just bought a flat and the garden is fully slabbed and can do with a good clean. I can’t wait to move in to release my new karcher on it
I hope you found this review helpful
Assembly
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The pressure washer came securely packed and required a degree of assembly to connect the hose, attach the wheels and to assemble the handle. You will require a Philips/cross head screwdriver for the handle only. Assembly takes 5 minutes.
Once assembled you are presented with the Karcher pressure washer as illustrated. Setting up for use requires you to connect a water and power supply.
Operation
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There are two separate controls, both of which are simple to operate. An rotary on/off switch on the main body of the washer and a separate 4 option control on the spray wand; this allows for variable spray pressure for hard substances such as paving through to soft timber, such as garden furniture (easy to operate rotary controller with a graphic display). Additionally there is a separate high pressure lance which directs a more concentrated and powerful jet for hard or stubborn stains. Personally I found that the variable lance offers sufficient force to tackle the majority of jobs, including removing heavy deposits off car alloy wheels. Both lances are easy to remove and secure.
The Krcher K4 comes with the added Plug and Clean system whereby you can attach a bottle of concentrated detergent or similar which will be mixed in the machine and delivered under pressure. It is a significant advance on previous models where there was an option to insert a pipe to draw the concentrate into the washer. I have used the car cleaner and found that it used the concentrate far quicker than I felt was necessary and therefore I would suggest that you experiment with concentration and do not attach a full bottle the first time you use it. I found that diluting the concentrate at a rate of 5:1 was more than sufficient to coat my car in foam: you just need to decant the remaining 80% into a separate container for future use.
Additional items supplied
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There are 5 additional items, all of which can utilise the Plug and clean system:
T5 Surface Cleaner – despite the fact that it is early spring, we tested the K5 on a small patio. we found that it did not clean anywhere near as effectively as the high pressure spray on its own HOWEVER there is considerable benefit from this reduced effectiveness in that the patio we tested the item on is made from sandstone and we found it significantly less abrasive. It was somewhat more effective when used with the patio cleaner, although common with all of the Plug and Clean products, it uses them at a very rapid rate and it is quite an expensive option. Perhaps we should use this cleaner a couple of times a year as the rotary action whilst not as powerful as the jet, it did the patio quicker and it did produce a noticeable result with minimal circular marks.
The foam nozzle, which is not a snow foam lance, produces a good enough foam to coat a car. I have allied previously to diluting the supplied detergent. Personally I prefer to fill this bottle with detergent rather than use the Plug and Clean option – but either works fine.
2 bottles of detergent. One for cleaning patios or similar and the other for cleaning cars: do not throw these bottles away after use as you can buy the detergent in 5L bottles, which is significantly cheaper.
The final and I believe the weakest part of this product is the car brush,
The final element is the Karcher rotary car brush. Personally I think that this product which you can purchase for a tad under 32.00 is the weakest part of this whole kit and this lets the side down, but not enough to lose a star. A far better brush is the standard Bruch which costs a quarter of that cost, You can use the rotary brush with the Plug and clean system, but for cleaning a car I use the following process:
+. Power wash/rinse
+. Coast with foam
.+ Standard power brush to remove the foam, grit and surface drift
+. Microfibre Mitt and warm soapy water in a bucket
+. Power wash and rinse, followed by chamois.
I actually felt that the rotary brush isn’t that good, it turns at roughly 20 spins a minute and the slightest pressure cause it to stop. Combine that with quite flimsy bristles and as I say, the weakest part of the package.
Functionality
==========
The washer supplied to me was not the upgraded model as advertised and did not have the retractable hose . In all other respects though pressure output is the same and the model is fully functional. It works really well, the 8 metre hose and 5 metre power cable permits me to access all sides of two family saloons parked parallel on my drive.
The unit is not exceptionally heavy, in fact the weight is quite reassuring. My wife commented that it was quite heavy, but not excessively and her only reservation would be lifting it any height (11.5kg)
Storage is relatively simple. The hose and power cable pack neatly to the rear and the wands are held securely at the front of the main unit.
The Krcher App
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The Krcher app is only used on this model to register purchase and to provide guides and tips, although higher spec models allow the app to control certain settings. A useful product guide which saves having to search for the manual if you wish to confirm any element of operation.
Overall
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A powerful mid range power washer which is ideal for the average home. There are more powerful models and those which are less powerful and smaller. For our home, this item is more than adequate for cleaning cars, which I suspect will be used for regularly, combined with annual cleaning of our patios and garden furniture. It has the added bonus of possessing two wands, a very high pressure washer and the much more convenient variable wand with four easy to control settings.
A great replacement for our old Karcher – the only downside is the assembly instructions- but didn’t take too long to assemble
Well priced and competitive but as always, a search may well turn up a cheaper price with or without accessories, it’s always worth checking other sellers. I consider the Krcher pressure washers, to be peerless, and the range very comprehensive from the K2 to the top end K7.
This K4 Krcher is a move away from the cheaper, less powerful models in the Krcher range and on a different level from other manufacturers. It comes in four flavours The Premium Power Control & Home, the Power control, the Power control Home and, the Premium Power control Home & Car, that being this model. All basically identical base units with different accessories thrown in. The exception being the top of the range K4 Premium Power Control Car & Home sports a very handy and useful reel for the 8-meter power hose, keeping it safe and tidy when not in use. I have read that it is a 6-meter hose, either that is a typo or my machines have left the factory with the wrong one fitted! All the washers are quick connect to mains water. An accessory is available to allow the supply to be a water butt or similar. All are fitted with wheels for ease of movement. They also need some assembly which is straight forward and requires a cross head screwdriver. Care is required when threading the pressure hose through its housing to the front of the machine, it is very easy to kink it if it hasn’t been carefully straightened beforehand. About twenty minutes should cover this simple job. This K4 is the top of the K4 range and has included the Home Kit, which comprises a T 5 patio cleaner and Stone & Faade detergent, and a Car Kit, with the including foam nozzle, wash brush and Car Shampoo
The K4’s all have the pressure hose emerging from the front of the unit above the water input, which I find an altogether neater arrangement than one front and one on the back. It seems a logical position. Two lances are supplied, each connecting to the trigger end with a positive and easy twist and push motion. One with a ‘Dirt Grinder’ spinning spray, the other with a ‘Vario’ power control with settings of medium hard soft and mix. The flow is sensibly controlled from the lance, twisting it will alternate between the various options and show on the display handle. The second lance has the single setting of Hard and it has the spinning ‘dirt grinder’ head.
The rear of all the variants have a small storage area where accessories can safely be stored behind a cargo net. And all have the power switch on the front.
The full range in K4’s, share the powerful 1.8kW motor producing 130 Bar, about 1900psi via the water-cooled Triplex Plunger Pump, a high efficiency and long-life unit. You wouldn’t want it pointing at anything delicate! The pressure is controllable allowing most surfaces to be attacked and cleaned efficiently and safely. The K4 and above models all have the ‘Plug and clean’ detergent intake which houses a dedicated Krcher accessory bottle holder. The liquids are available in different solutions of cleaner for various applications — stone cleaning, degreaser and detergents for various applications It’s an altogether satisfactory experience, the machine is a joy to use, it’s robust looks are reflected in the build quality, it looks a very capable machine and it most certainly is easily worth a full five-star rating…
JC
So the K4 is the midrange unit, slightly different assembly to the K2 but assembly is required. With the K7 it’s practically pull out of the box, all bar attaching the handle and hose.
With this it involved screwing parts together. The K2 is clip together for comparison. I found the instructions slightly lacking. There were pictures, but I was confused at points, I got there in the end. With this being screwed together (rather than clipping – K2) it definitely felt more secure. It looks a whole lot more premium than the K2 as well.
It comes with two lances which attach to the handle as well as an extender. There’s the high pressure one which is seriously high pressure and then the other allows you to turn between different levels of pressure.
The handle has an indicator when using the turnable lance so that you know what pressure level you’re at. At first I was searching for a controls on the handle and then realised it automatically senses.
This is ideal for using on more delicate surfaces and goes all the way up to high pressure but it wasn’t as powerful as the other lance. You can change the power for your car for example or wood. It’s nice to have that level of control. It also does a wired spinning motion spray but I’m yet to workout what this is for or if it’s just mine being a bit weird.
Now both the K2 and K7 came with patio attachments, you can see these in the pictures I’ve added. They also came with patio cleaning solution, albeit different sizes. This being the middle of the market one I would have expected to have those.
The unit itself has a section to attach the solution on top so I don’t know why they didn’t just give you one for free! I understand that when you see different names with the same model it generally indicates attachment bundles and not a different unit but the K2 at the lower end came with some accessories.
I’ve done a quick Google search and for the price you can get this model with them elsewhere. The unit I give a five but value is a bit less in my view.
The high pressure lance has a stream slightly wider than I’m used to. I had to be careful between gaps of block paving as it’s so powerful on the edges it was bringing up sand. With the K2 I had more pinpoint control but less coverage area. This definitely does the job quicker as the pressure is quite significant on a wide area. Ideal for paving or concrete.
The adjustable lance on full power wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as the other lance but still powerful enough that it would damage delicate surfaces. It’s expectedly more powerful than the K2.
The hose is apparently 6m but my I didn’t manage to use the full length. It has wheels so I just moved it around with me afterall. I struggled somewhat with the hose and getting it unwrapped and wrapped back up. For some reason you feed it through a slot before attaching to the handle. I was having to lift off the back hinge and then pull through enough so that I could use it. Then feed back through and wrapped back up once I’d finished.
It comes with a card to scan for the app and I was expecting to be able to control it with this but it’s actually for registration.
All in all its a good pressure washer and definitely better than the K2. It’s nowhere near the K7 but it looks the part. It’s well made and really stylish but it could do with the price reducing or accessories in my view. Then it would be five on everything.
If you are reading this with a view to purchasing one of these to clean patio slabs I would definitely recommend you buy one with a rotary patio cleaner (I borrowed my son’s) as they make the job much quicker and make less mess.
The only thing I don’t like is the stiff pressure hose, although they are the same whatever you buy, because it is just so difficult to control and would be better on a retractable reel or something.
Despite having wheels manoeuvrability can be a bit tricky (again, the same whatever you buy) what with the hose and power cable having to be looked after.
The bottom line though is that overall I’m very pleased with this machine
The unit needs to be fairly near to an electrical socket as the cable isn’t over long, but it makes up for that with the massive washer hose.
I switched on the unit with the rotary switch and it remained silent. Nothing happens until you press the trigger on the wand. Then you get a real surprise. I didn’t expect it to be so quiet.
The pressure of the jet is adjusted by twisting the wand, thinner jet=more power, wider jet= gentler flow. There’s an indicator near the trigger which shows the level of pressure as you adjust the flow.
I’ve included a video of this in action, also showing how easy it was to remove the winter’s green stains from my slabs.
I look forward to using this on the rest of the yard and may even try washing the car with it, it’s so controllable.
My only gripe is with the instructions again. I think it’s a generic sheet for a number of models and shows how to fit various accessories, like a rotary brush and a detergent reservoir, neither of which are included with this model. I found this a little confusing, misleading and disappointing. That apart, I cannot fault the engineering which goes into Karcher products and thoroughly recommend this one.
Well priced and competitive but as always, a search may well turn up a cheaper price with or without accessories, it’s always worth checking other sellers. I consider the Krcher pressure washers, to be peerless, and the range very comprehensive from the K2 to the top end K7.
This K4 Krcher is a move away from the cheaper, less powerful models in the Krcher range and on a different level from other manufacturers. It comes in four flavours The Premium Power Control & Home, the Power control, the Power control Home and, the Power control Home & Car, all basically identical base units with different accessories thrown in. The exception being the top of the range K4 Premium Power Control Car & Home sports a very handy and useful reel for the 8-meter power hose, keeping it safe and tidy when not in use. I have read that it is a 6 meter hose, either that is a typo or my machine has left the factory with the wrong one fitted! All the washers are quick connect to mains water. An accessory is available to allow the supply to be a water butt or similar. All are fitted with wheels for ease of movement. They also need some assembly which is straight forward and requires a cross head screwdriver. Care is required when threading the pressure hose through its housing to the front of the machine, it is very easy to kink it if it hasn’t been carefully straightened beforehand. About twenty minutes should cover this simple job.
The K4’s all have the pressure hose emerging from the front of the unit above the water input, which I find an altogether neater arrangement than one front and one on the back. It seems a logical position. Two lances are supplied, each connecting to the trigger end with a positive and easy twist and push motion. One with a ‘Dirt Grinder’ spinning spray, the other with a ‘Vario’ power control with settings of medium hard soft and mix. The flow is sensibly controlled from the lance, twisting it will alternate between the various options and show on the display handle. The second lance has the single setting of Hard and it has the spinning ‘dirt grinder’ head.
The rear of all the variants have a small storage area where accessories can safely be stored behind a cargo net. And all have the power switch on the front.
The full range in K4’s, share the powerful 1.8kW motor producing 130 Bar, about 1900psi via the water cooled Triplex Plunger Pump, a high efficiency and long life unit. You wouldn’t want it pointing at anything delicate! The pressure is controllable allowing most surfaces to be attacked and cleaned efficiently and safely. The K4 and above models all have the ‘Plug and clean’ detergent intake which houses a dedicated Krcher accessory bottle holder. The liquids are available in different solutions of cleaner for various applications — stone cleaning, degreaser and detergents for various applications It’s an altogether satisfactory experience, the machine is a joy to use, it’s robust looks are reflected in the build quality, it looks a very capable machine and it most certainly is easily worth a full five star rating..
JC
I haven’t cleaned the car yet but used it for the patio. I’m pretty pleased with the results. It did a great job, can’t wait for the wet cold weather to go so I can try it in the car.
Instructions included and pretty straightforward to follow.
I hope you found this review helpful